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An idyllic day.  Living on the island doesn't guarantee blissful days 365 days a year. There were even seasons where we felt stuck or even trapped mostly created by the chaos churned by the mind. This inner conflict highlights the not-so-desirable things around us.  Some of you might be asking me, what on earth is she talking about when she's surrounded by this beauty?

That is precisely where I was getting at. Lured by the tropical life, and hot weather all year round in proximity to turquoise waters, most city folks would pay a huge sum for it.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/Epxsj7h3TD5rAYGZdto7mKAw5HAVnjAdoiNQYwvpC5XHz7eUrPZL32U6aDynJtwPcbd.JPG

Events unfolded that led us to live here.  My family and I intentionally made Moalboal, this hidden paradise at the southwestern tip of Cebu our home for the last 5 years.  

Was I happy?  
I wasn't. 
There I said it. 

There was always this looming feeling that I was not where I was supposed to be. I always felt Moalboal to be spiritually dry. A friend called it a spiritual desert. 

**Time proved though that we were in the right place at the right time.** It was the pandemic and the openness of rural living made the isolation of those fearful years bearable and more meaningful. 

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/EqBao7U9xHVcJxcBWGTinnBsTgHCHmcTtLawr9pZ8U3DCkdtzCfsh6rLVz8UMMX2iBb.JPG

Yet throughout the years of living here, I could count the number of times I had been to the sea. Most days I **was** confined within the 4 walls of our bedroom/home office working. But it is in Moalboal that I have conquered many of my fears. 

One of them was [overcoming the fear of deep waters](https://peakd.com/hive-114105/@discoveringarni/i-was-afraid-of-deep-water-until-i-tried-diving).  Another was enduring the mighty blows of [Typhoon Odette](https://peakd.com/hive-194848/@discoveringarni/minimalism-lessons-learned-after-surviving-the-super-typhoon-and-other-unforeseen-catastrophes) and the latest incident rocked my world and purged whatever was left of my ego in the last 2 years.



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It was also living here that I got to fulfill some of my desires with luck and hard work.  I was able to set up an architectural design firm with an online team in 2 years. We were able to design 2 coffee shops, a bar, a hostel renovation, restaurants, a few homes, and a full resort development here while living in this small diving village.  

After completing our last architectural project, I made an intention to take a break and intuitively say no to projects that will not support the tiny sabbatical I am on that is focused on inner healing.  

For the last 2 years [since I hung up my construction helmet](https://peakd.com/hive-113523/@discoveringarni/a-compass-who-has-lost-its-bearings), I dared to leap into architecture again and chose to be busy. 


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/EoeFx6kpD437wpq2pj1JdE2fTuzX1QAD5KMr7ZokdrEWjgNK5mjZBBc4qaAL8GZaNx7.JPG

This day in my island life is an exception.

Just to be clear, we didn't design this resort. This is Cebu Seaview Resort, home to Cebu Fun Divers where my husband @iamyohann works as a dive instructor sometimes. 

I made a dinner booking here the day before to meet friends before they permanently left Moalboal. Coincidentally, Yohann invited me to hang around in the resort while he was out on a boat dive. 

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/EqFsx7BjibwLySbmXmWVi8faLz7MG1CuXADCkLXUXuJzmivAsX1Et7Kata5c9ubiFWg.JPG

I took the opportunity to spend some alone time. I had luck that morning, there was no confined open-water dive training. I swam and enjoyed the empty 8-meter-deep infinity pool while I waited for all of the dive boats to leave.

  
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I intended to swim towards the reef where you see all of the boats lined up and snorkel there for as long as possible, alone. I wanted the sea to engulf me, to heed the desire to play there. To allow the energetic waters to wash away and support me in the healing work after a recent Shamanic journey. 

Once the shoreline was deserted and my thoughts were drowned by the waves on the echoes of the boat engine headed towards Pescador Island, I wore my fins and swam 100 meters from the shore.


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/EqWnk2yJWAFzpxhKUjGquMF9Pbf2EMr21VUbJAFfqJB5Ts8rwGMAg8YAKZkVoQaEMor.JPG

Blue starfish guided the way and I was instantly greeted by a sea turtle. He was about a meter in size and he swam next to me. I reached the coral wall that plunged 40 meters deep.   I shared this experience on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4cZ9V4JwWL/) 

*"I hovered above the coral wall, went swimming back and forth, and watched different kinds of fish big and small in silence. I lost track of time and was in meditative bliss for an hour until it was time to head back when the boats returned. I found a bigger sea turtle in the shallows as a way of saying till we meet again."*

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The day out into the sea was a glimmer.  According to [this article](https://www.choosingtherapy.com/glimmers/), *"Glimmers are small moments of joy that can bring light even to our darkest days."* 

I was drawn to swim and I followed the intuitive pull to do it. Everything worked out smoothly and the encounter with the sea turtles and blue starfish and what the entire day entailed inspired me to write this post.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/EqFtxK5rxrkiwZGpbqEghNWUNJzzouc87JqkEtnupbmR7Ph3samzErTsqZdsHkHdMJx.JPG

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I was energized. I brewed with clarity and motivation when I reunited with Yohann after his dive. My husband decided to stay home with our daughter that evening while I later rejoined female friends here so we could all watch the sunset with **mocktails** and enjoy a poolside dinner until 9 pm. 

What are your glimmers? How did you discover them? What simple thing gives you profound joy? Perhaps it's someone in your life? 

We are exactly where we are meant to be. This glimmer of a day in my island life reminded me of that.

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![Discovering Arni.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/discoveringarni/243WieYhazGn3LY3ZZdcDFQAmVMWszUgkJjQD7YKsLHamzJVbDSQCrLwG3hYyoHbzmd8D.jpg)

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###### "I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both the tangible and the unseen."  

[@discoveringarni](https://peakd.com/@discoveringarni)

<sub> Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
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